My name is John, though most of you know me as Duckie.

Last year I was able to stay afloat thanks to your help. Unfortunately I need it again.

I am $4700 behind on my rent, and the property manager is giving me until the end of March to get caught up or she's filing for eviction. If this sounds familiar, it's because I was at this exact point last year.

I'm still unable to work and my disability appeal is going nowhere, despite having requested a petition for dire need two months ago.

So this time I'm either going to use the funds to get caught up on rent or to move, one or the other. I've applied for Section 8, we'll see how that goes.

I've also been listing more things lately, so hopefully I'll get some funds from that as well, though it's been small.

Breakdown of funds:

Overdue Rent: $4700

Next Month's Rent: $1200

Court Fees: $100

This Month's Electric: $200

Next Month's Electric: $200

Other bills: $100

I appreciate everyone who reads this!

Anyway, if you're new here, here's my story. If you already know me, you know this part.

I used to be able to work, but then suddenly I couldn't. COVID came and limited the work I can do because I'm at risk for it. It wouldn't be good if I caught it, so I'm limited to staying at home and wearing a mask when I do go out for groceries. I can't visit friends or go out to restaurants.

Then came the sleep disorder. Last year, I was diagnosed with Non-24 Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder, a sleep disorder that is very rare in sighted people. So rare, that my doctor actually wants to write up a medical study about my case. It turns out that I've had it all my life; I'd just been able to tolerate it, despite being sleepy all the time with my days or nights being out of sync. As I got older, it became impossible to ignore. My sleep time gets pushed back every few days, resulting in eventually flipped days and nights every two weeks.

This is what my sleep looks like in a typical month, taken directly from my CPAP machine:

Between severe clinical depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, migraines, and a rare sleep disorder, a logical person would believe I'd be able to easily get disability.

They'd be wrong. I've been trying for five years now. During the first year, I got by with the COVID stimulus checks. The second year, I got by selling some assets I'd acquired as a gift from a friend. The third year, I was forced to sell a game collection I'd accrued that was worth around $40k. Last year, I ran out of stuff to sell and I was forced to start begging for money. This is why I'm in my current situation.

I just need time. You can help me with that.

Reaching my full goal will get me caught up on my rent, or help me move, whichever is necessary. I'm hoping this will be enough to hang on until my case gets approved. I've been waiting since July for my appeal.

Thank you for reading this far. Any amount helps, even $1. Even if you can't give anything, please consider sharing.